An ectopic pregnancy is one that occurs outside the uterus. They are rare and when this occurs it is very unlikely that pregnancy develops and a healthy baby is born, although there have been cases in which it has happened.
You've probably heard of him, but Many women do not know the signs or know that it can be very dangerous if it is not detected in time, to the extent of putting their lives at risk. This is what happened to Kerri Stedman, a 34-year-old English mother, who now shares her story to raise awareness about this anomaly.
Just after a few weeks of discovering that she was pregnant, Kerri suffered an ectopic pregnancy. In a video posted on Facebook She explains how she could not identify the signs of this anomaly, which caused her to suffer a rupture in the uterus and internal bleeding just before she passed out in a hospital bathroom. She had to be taken urgently and be operated in the operating room.
In this painful video, Kerri comments that her baby died and she almost died too. Following this experience He has dedicated himself to raising awareness so that more women know the symptoms and can detect in time if their pregnancy is ectopic.
"Nobody tells you that if you are suffering from shoulder pain it is a possible sign that you have internal bleeding and should be hospitalized immediately", he said in an interview with Irish Mirror.
In her experience, she comments that she felt disoriented because she didn't know anything about it, but thanks to an association called Ectopic Pregnancy Trust, she received the support and company she needed. Since then promised to walk 1,000 kilometers to raise funds and help raise awareness of this anomaly.
Why do ectopic pregnancies occur?
Although there is no particular reason and it can happen to anyone, there are some factors that predispose an ectopic pregnancy to happen.
Most ectopic pregnancies occur in women between 35 and 44 years old, which suggests that being older than 35 years causes a greater probability of this happening. Having had a previous ectopic pregnancy too increases the chance of another happening again by up to 20%.
In the rare case that a woman carrying the IUD get pregnant, the risk of an ectopic pregnancy is high. Women who have undergone a tubal recanalization surgery in order to get pregnant again They also have an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy.
Also, taking hormones, specifically estrogen and progesterone, can slow the movement of the ovule, leading to an ectopic pregnancy.
What are the symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy?
Some of the symptoms of an ectopic pregnancy are similar to those of a normal pregnancy, so it is important to know them to detect it in time. Some alarm signals may be the following:
- Cramps, especially under the abdomen and on one side. The pain can be aggravated by sneezing, coughing, urinating or making sudden movements.
- Can be presented brown vaginal losses or slight bleeding several days or weeks before the pain.
- A high percentage of women with ectopic pregnancy suffer nausea and dizziness, although this symptom is difficult to differentiate from morning sickness.
- Some women suffer fainting or weakness. If the tube breaks, rapid and weak pulse and cold and wet skin are also common.
- Pain in the lower back.
- Some women feel shoulder pain I pressure in the rectum.
